Visit It by the Pale Moonlight
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: Just when Jack thinks he's seen everything the Rift can imagine...it surprises him.


Title: Visit It by the Pale Moonlight

Summary: Just when Jack thinks he's seen everything the Rift can imagine...it surprises him.

Notes: For Queenmidalah's 2010 fandom stocking

Jack held his hands very very still as he looked at the two people the Rift had dropped on them today.

The man's clothing might have just been handmade and tailored, but his golden eyes and skin were definitely not 21st century Earth standard. Jack was interested to know where and when he came from, because he was bloody well igorgeous/i.

For that matter, so was the blonde-haired woman who stood (not willingly) behind him. She kept trying to peek around the man and he had to shove her back.

"I am not here to hurt you," Jack said carefully, trying to determine what weapons they carried.

"You had better not be," the man said, his voice soft and dangerous. "I will tear you limb from limb before I allow you to touch my wife."

"Daemon," the woman said acerbically. "I believe he just said he ididn't/i wish to harm us. Perhaps we could wait until he does something?"

"Like ripping us out of Ebon Askavi?" the man-Daemon-said, with equal annoyance in his tone.

"Are we sure he's responsible?"

Jack put his hands on his hips, frowning at them. Honestly, he wasn't used to being ignored this long and it was getting on his nerves. "Hello, ihe/i is standing right here. And ihe/i didn't rip you out of anywhere, the Rift did."

The woman tilted her head, seeming to look at the air in front of her. "Is that what that is? Is it alive?"

"I...don't think so?" Jack blinked.

Daemon didn't take his eyes off Jack, but he almost whirled around to look at the woman. "Jaenelle, you can see it?"

"You can't?" she looked honestly astonished. Peering around her husband at Jack, she asked, "Can you?"

"See a wormhole? No. I've got sensors that tell me where it acts, but I can't see it myself."

"Sensors?" Daemon asked.

"Wormhole?" Jaenelle repeated. "I've never seen a worm that could burrow like this. It's extraordinary."

Oh dear, Jack thought. It's like that, is it? "Wormhole is just an analogy. It's really just a particular kind of hole in spacetime. And it has a tendency to pick things up and drop them around my city."

Jaenelle was looking at the air again. "It's really quite pretty, Daemon."

He gritted his teeth and spoke very carefully. "I'm so glad. However, I did have a great many things to do today...speak to Lucivar, sort out some issues with the farmers. I do inot/i have time to stand around..." He looked at Jack. "Where are we?"

"Cardiff. On the planet Earth." He thought about giving coordinates, but realized they wouldn't mean anything.

"Right. I don't have time for a scenic tour of Cardiff."

"Maybe another day?" She smiled winsomely at Daemon and Jack thought to himself that if she'd smile like that at him, he'd do whatever she wanted. Both strangers glanced at him, Jaenelle smiling sweetly and Daemon looking murderous. Jaenelle put a hand on her husband's arm. "There there, dear. He's been a perfect gentleman."

"Honest. I just want to help. That's what I do. I find people stranded here by the Rift and try to help them."

Jaenelle laughed. "Oh, we're not stranded. It just took me a few minutes to get my bearings. But maybe I'll come back and visit sometime."

Daemon glared at her. "Not alone."

"Of course not. I'm sure Lucivar would love the challenge of a place like this. Or you and I could come back."

Jack opened his mouth to say...something, but the woman waved at him. "Goodbye. Oh, I didn't get your name."

"Jack. I'm Jack Harkness," he responded automatically.

"Goodbye, Jack!" She waved and took her husband's hand. And they vanished.

Almost every sensor on his wristband went off for a moment and then was silent. Jack stood very still and wondered if it might be time to take that year or two of accumulated vacation he'd acquired over the years.

A screeching sound heralded the arrival of the rest of the crew in the SUV and they tumbled out, all talking at the same time. Apparently their equipment had reacted just like his wristband.

Jack held up a hand and they all shut up. "Nothing for us to do here today," he said. Everyone looked at him oddly. "Our guests...decided to leave. Go home, that is."

That statement was met by complete silence. Finally, Ianto ventured a question. "Home, sir?"

"Yes." He was still staring into the space that Jaenelle had examined so carefully, trying to see what she had seen. "I don't know if we'll see them again."

"Riiiight," Gwen said, carefully tugging on his arm. "Why don't we just go back to the Hub and get you a nice cup of tea, okay, Jack?"

Sighing, he shook his head and followed the others. "Sounds lovely," he said, resolutely not looking back.

Which was why he missed the brief flash that heralded the appearance of two dogs, one wearing a large purple jewel around his neck and the other with a red jewel. *Ooooh,* the dog said. *Witch was right about this place.*

*Yes,* the other agreed. *I think we should explore.*

-end-


End file.
